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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: racket · wound · prune · straw · degree · fork · bank · ball

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bank — of a river
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a dance
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bank — for money
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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