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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · lean · game · ball · prune · dip · file · bear

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a document
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lean — thin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — to bend

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