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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: root · wake · bear · wind · trunk · court · perch · temple

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of law
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — the cause
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — the fish
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wake — a trail

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