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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: trunk · bear · wave · court · dip · pop · bulb · hand

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pop — music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of law
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — for sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hand — help
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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