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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a document
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. file — a line of people
  10. court — of law
  11. suit — clothes
  12. spell — letters
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a tool
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. court — for sport
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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