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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 120 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: object · land · prune · bank · mine · season · coach · court

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. court — of a king
  3. season — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — ground
  16. season — of the year
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. court — of law
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bank — of a river
  24. land — to come down

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