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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. court — of law
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. face — part of the head
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. band — a ring
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a music group
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  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