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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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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: lean · bark · swing · court · trunk · coach · deal · season

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lean — to bend
  4. season — in sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — for sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. swing — to play on
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lean — thin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of a king
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. court — of law
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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