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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. firm — decided
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — of law
  7. firm — a company
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. clip — a video
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. clip — for paper

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