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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. court — of law
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pop — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — to visit
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. current — electric
  21. branch — a division
  22. current — of water
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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