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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: prune · track · suit · hand · game · scale · ball · cell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — in biology
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — size or range
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — in music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. hand — in cards
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ball — a dance
  22. suit — clothes
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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