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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 124 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: ball · rest · bowl · prune · drill · bound · fork · chest

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — army training
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rest — a break
  18. chest — a box
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — to trim

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