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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 120 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: trunk · court · chip · mine · spring · bowl · land · calf

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — to come down
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — a country
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. court — for sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chip — to eat
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. land — ground

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