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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: court · game · bark · bulb · prune · wind · pitcher · arm

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — of a king
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. court — for sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  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