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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · prune · season · cold · bank · shower · key · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — in sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — of the year
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. shower — rain
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — of law
  11. key — for a lock
  12. shower — to wash
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bank — of a river
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cold — not warm
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. key — in music
  22. court — for sport
  23. bore — to tire
  24. court — of a king

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