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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: leaves · court · spring · lean · rash · race · mug · trunk

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — a contest
  4. mug — a cup
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. race — the arms race
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rash — hasty
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. lean — thin
  17. mug — to rob
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mug — a face
  24. race — humankind

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