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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: land · key · bowl · last · wake · prune · can · ball

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ball — a great time
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. key — in music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — to come down
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wake — a trail
  20. land — a country
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. land — ground
  24. last — finally

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