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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
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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: plane · court · leaves · prune · mine · saw · bulb · net

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — of a king
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — after costs
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bulb — for light

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