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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · court · stand · trunk · lie · shower · root · pass

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. court — of a king
  6. lie — to recline
  7. root — of a word
  8. court — of law
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — a coil
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stand — to bear
  14. root — the cause
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spring — of water
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pass — to spend time

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