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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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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: wound · trunk · leaves · ball · pop · bass · court · stand

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. bass — low music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. court — of law
  5. pop — music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — for sport
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wound — an injury
  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