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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 116 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: bank · sharp · prune · last · straw · court · mouse · field

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. field — farmland
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — a subject
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — of a king
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — finally
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bank — of a river
  17. court — for sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. last — final
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. sharp — exactly

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