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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 116 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: sharp · ball · content · prune · branch · land · season · cue

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. season — of the year
  11. cue — a signal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ball — a great time
  17. season — in sport
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — a division
  21. land — ground
  22. cue — a hint
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ball — a dance

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