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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: court · bulb · trunk · rash · bound · perch · degree · current

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. current — of water
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — happening now
  16. court — for sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — an amount
  20. current — electric
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. court — of law
  24. rash — on the skin

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