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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bank — for money
  4. mate — a partner
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — a friend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. court — for sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of law

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