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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: wake · coach · court · leaves · trunk · tube · shower · saw

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. tube — the underground
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — for sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — in a tire

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