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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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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: saw · court · field · firm · trunk · season · stand · drill

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. field — farmland
  2. firm — decided
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. drill — army training
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stand — to bear
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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