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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 · current · date · tube · bowl · straw · lean

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. tube — the underground
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — happening now
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. court — of a king
  15. tube — a container
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. date — the fruit
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. straw — a straw man

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