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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: racket · fine · court · spring · chest · branch · trunk · cabinet

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spring — a coil
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fine — all right
  15. branch — a division
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of a king
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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