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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 · field · scale · court · rock · wind · lean · stick

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. field — a subject
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — farmland
  17. lean — thin
  18. scale — in music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. field — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rock — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — a stone

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