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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: game · tube · roll · calf · bay · bulb · trunk · court

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. game — wild animals
  5. court — of a king
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — a list
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. tube — a container
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — for sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — a match
  24. court — of 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