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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: foot · trunk · bulb · wound · game · court · bowl · tube

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. game — wild animals
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — a container
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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