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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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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 · face · row · sharp · bulb · court · board · stock

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. board — to get on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. court — for sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — to point toward
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. face — to confront
  17. prune — to trim
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stock — shares
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. row — a quarrel

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