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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: wind · trunk · court · ruler · leaves · pop · stock · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. court — of law
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mug — to rob
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — for sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. court — of a king
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pop — to visit
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mug — a face
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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