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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: deal · wax · sharp · root · bulb · court · trunk · rash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — a series
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — to grow
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. root — the cause
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — for sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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