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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: scale · ground · patient · prune · face · court · can · trunk

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. court — of law
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ground — a position
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to confront
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — a tin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — in music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ground — crushed
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. prune — to trim

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