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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: land · object · prune · saw · sharp · court · toast · wake

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. court — of a king
  9. object — to protest
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — a country
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. land — to come down
  16. toast — bread
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. object — a thing
  23. land — ground
  24. court — for sport

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