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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — for sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a dance
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. court — of a king
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pop — music
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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