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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: cue · bear · shower · prune · net · ball · ground · branch

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ground — a position
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — after costs
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — in sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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