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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: straw · fan · bay · court · mouse · last · prune · face

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — final
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. face — to point toward
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — to go on
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. court — of a king
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. court — of law
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — to confront

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