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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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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: swing · ground · stem · bank · court · saw · bound · prune

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. court — of law
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bound — tied together
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ground — a position
  19. bound — certain
  20. court — for sport
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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