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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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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: drill · content · leaves · band · pop · court · calf · trunk

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. court — of law
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. court — of a king
  12. band — a music group
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a ring
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. drill — a practice
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. content — happy

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