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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · last · prune · snap · game · ball · firm · can

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. snap — to click
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. can — a tin
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. firm — decided
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a dance
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — a match
  21. last — final
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com