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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. court — of law
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — music
  6. tube — a container
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — a coil
  13. current — electric
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — for sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. tube — in a tire

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