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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. last — to go on
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bear — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lean — thin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. court — of law
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — finally
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. last — final
  24. court — of a king

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