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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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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 · toast · race · bank · leaves · kick · court · patient

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. toast — bread
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. court — of a king
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. kick — in football
  9. court — of law
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bank — for money
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. race — the arms race
  17. court — for sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. race — humankind
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bank — of a river

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