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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: rash · drill · trunk · season · lean · court · pass · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lean — to bend
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. drill — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — in sport
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — of the year
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. court — for sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — hasty
  17. court — of law
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. board — to get on
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. drill — army training
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — a series
  24. lean — thin

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