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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 · prune · roll · mine · arm · bulb · mate · deal

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mate — a partner
  5. deal — to handle
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — for digging
  11. roll — a list
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a cake
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. court — for sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. court — of law

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