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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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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 · bay · wave · arm · court · prune

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. season — in sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. season — to add flavour

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