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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: spring · saw · lash · bowl · court · trunk · prune · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — the season
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. court — of a king
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  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