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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: cap · bear · temple · prune · court · root · stand · arm

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stand — to bear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — of ice
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. root — of a word
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. root — the cause
  18. court — for sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. root — of a plant

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