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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 124 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: can · track · cell · bat · prune · ball · rash · spring

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. track — a path
  3. ball — a dance
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. can — a tin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rash — a series
  23. spring — the season
  24. prune — to trim

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