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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: prune · ball · firm · march · stand · fork · bowl · root

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — of a word
  4. fork — in a road
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. firm — steady
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. firm — a company
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a plant
  23. firm — decided
  24. root — the cause

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