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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. capital — money
  3. present — there
  4. roll — a list
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — a break
  7. present — the time now
  8. spring — a coil
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — of a king
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. present — a gift
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — the season
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. bear — the animal

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