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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: court · march · trunk · ruler · temple · wave · coach · cap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of law
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — a hat
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. march — music
  24. wave — of the sea

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