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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
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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: roll · bat · mine · court · present · bank · temple · trunk

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. bank — of a river
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — a gift

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