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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. court — of law
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. court — for sport
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bulb — for light

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