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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 120 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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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: bulb · tear · trunk · court · stand · bear · bat · fork

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. court — for sport
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — the animal
  8. court — of law
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. court — of a king
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fork — to eat with

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