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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. court — of law
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. track — to keep track
  7. court — for sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. track — a song
  11. court — of a king
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — a path
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. branch — a division
  17. stem — to come from
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. pit — in a race
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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