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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. root — of a word
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. suit — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — of a king
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tube — a container
  11. court — for sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. suit — to fit
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — of law
  18. field — for sport
  19. suit — clothes
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — farmland
  22. tube — the underground
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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