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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: prune · leaves · court · wound · saw · trunk · bound · ground

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. court — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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