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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · stem · rush · ball · pitcher · land · prune · bark

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. land — ground
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — of the year
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — to come down
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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