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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 · bulb · firm · march · season · field · craft · court

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. season — in sport
  3. craft — a skill
  4. season — of the year
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. march — the month
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. field — farmland
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — a subject
  20. prune — to trim
  21. firm — decided
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. craft — boats

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