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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 120 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
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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 · bulb · suit · swing · mug · bark · wind

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mug — a face
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. court — of law
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. court — of a king
  19. wind — moving air
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wind — moving air

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