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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: ruler · prune · field · last · mine · mouse · racket · content

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. last — to go on
  9. content — the amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — a subject
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. field — for sport
  18. last — final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. field — farmland
  22. content — happy
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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