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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · bass · pass · racket · bank · file · court · wound

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pass — a permit
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — of a king
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — low music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bass — the fish

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