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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: fan · spring · ball · firm · bank · prune · mark · bark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a grade

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