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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — of a king
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bear — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — of law
  24. coach — a trainer

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