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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: court · mine · present · prune · bowl · leaves · wound · bay

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. court — of law
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. present — a gift
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — for digging
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. court — of a king
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — for sport
  24. present — there

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