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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: roll · wound · racket · game · prune · season · stem · straw

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — of the year
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. roll — a list
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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