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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bass — low music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — in sport
  18. court — for sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. season — of the year

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