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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pop — soda
  7. court — of law
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pop — to visit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. season — in sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. season — of the year
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pop — music
  24. court — for sport

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