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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.

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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — of a king
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. club — a group
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — for golf
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — for sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. court — of law

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