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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: court · bound · prune · sharp · season · current · arm · bay

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — certain
  8. court — of law
  9. bound — tied together
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. current — electric
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. sharp — clever
  21. current — happening now
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  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