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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: bound · court · chair · calf · ball · prune · wound · pitcher

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a dance
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — tied together
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ball — a great time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — certain
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — a young animal

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