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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. court — of a king
  5. perch — the fish
  6. vault — a safe
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bank — for money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bank — of a river
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — for sport
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. land — ground
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — to bear
  23. land — a country
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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