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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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Word bank
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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: trunk · stand · vault · squash · bat · court · stick · band

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a music group
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. stand — to bear
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — the animal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — of a king

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