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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — of law
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — for sport
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of a king
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stem — to come from
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ball — a great time

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