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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.

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: lean · season · court · plane · net · fan · key · prune

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — of law
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — in sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. net — after costs
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. net — in sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — thin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. net — for catching
  20. plane — a tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. court — for sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. key — the most important part

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