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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — of the year
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — the earth
  13. court — for sport
  14. season — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spring — of water
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — in football
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — a position

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