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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stand · craft · pitcher · racket · spell · present · prune

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. present — a gift
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — magic
  15. present — the time now
  16. craft — boats
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — a short time
  22. court — of law
  23. craft — a skill
  24. prune — to trim

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