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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bank — for money
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. last — final
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. court — of a king
  23. last — to go on
  24. bank — of a river

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