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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: tube · leaves · chest · scale · court · prune · racket · current

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chest — of your body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. court — of law
  11. current — of water
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. court — for sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — electric
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. current — happening now
  23. tube — a container
  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