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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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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: leaves · perch · foot · court · deal · stem · prune · race

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. court — of a king
  3. foot — a measure
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. race — the arms race
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. perch — the fish
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. race — a contest
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. race — humankind
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. court — of law
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. perch — for a bird

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