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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: mouse · stem · ground · fall · march · court · rush · trunk

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. court — of a king
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — the season
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. court — for sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of law

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