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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — certain
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — for sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — of a king
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — tied together
  24. march — music

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