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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 · deal · court · drill · mine · bound · bulb · rock

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — army training
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. court — of a king
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. rock — music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — tied together
  23. prune — to trim
  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