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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 120 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: ball · racket · foot · safe · present · prune · march · bark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. march — music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. march — the month
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. present — the time now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ball — a dance
  19. present — there
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. present — a gift
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. foot — part of the body

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