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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.

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: prune · mouse · court · leaves · trunk · net · fan · fall

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — the season
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. court — of a king
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fall — to drop
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. court — for sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. trunk — of a tree

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