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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.

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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: fork · coach · ground · prune · ball · straw · racket · mouse

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ground — crushed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — a position
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fork — in a road
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ball — a dance
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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