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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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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 · race · field · trunk · nail · bear · leaves · rule

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. race — the arms race
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. field — for sport
  5. rule — government
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. race — humankind
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — a contest
  21. field — farmland
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rule — a law

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