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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: prune · face · bound · pitcher · leaves · pass · court · rest

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rest — a break
  5. bound — certain
  6. court — of law
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — of a king
  16. face — part of the head
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bound — obliged
  22. face — to confront
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. leaves — lets stay

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