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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · tube · cabinet · game · pitcher · bowl · club · bear

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — the underground
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — a match
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — to roll

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