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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: straw · prune · ball · bank · march · bound · bulb · fine

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. march — music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ball — a great time
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bank — for money
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — high quality
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fine — all right
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a dance
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bank — for money

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