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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · pop · trunk · stem · can · track · chair · safe

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pop — music
  5. court — of a king
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — a path
  11. pop — soda
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of law
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — for sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. trunk — of a tree

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