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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. court — of law
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. craft — boats
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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