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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: safe · racket · foot · jam · trunk · court · perch · stem

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of a king
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — to come from
  5. foot — a measure
  6. court — of law
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. court — for sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. perch — the fish
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. racket — for tennis

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