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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 · trunk · roll · bark · can · bulb · content · bay

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. court — of law
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. court — of a king
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. roll — a list
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — happy
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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