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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: fine · lean · prune · can · court · wind · drill · deal

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — to handle
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lean — thin
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. can — a tin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. drill — army training
  18. court — of law
  19. drill — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wind — moving air

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