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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.

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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: wound · ruler · bark · cabinet · lean · court · temple · trunk

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lean — to bend
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bark — to shout
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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