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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · court · wound · march · snap · ground · bulb · trunk

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — in music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ground — the earth
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — a position
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of law
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. march — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — crushed
  24. court — of a king

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