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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — for sport
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. bank — for money
  18. bulb — for light
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — for money
  24. file — a tool

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