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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: shower · fine · bowl · court · chair · prune · field · band

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. field — for sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. fine — high quality
  8. chair — a leader
  9. shower — rain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — a subject
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. band — a ring
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. shower — to wash
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. court — of a king

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