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

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. season — in sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of a king
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — rain
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — to bear
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stand — on your feet

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