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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
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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 · fan · temple · cap · bound · court · perch · stem

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cap — a lid
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bound — certain
  10. court — of law
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cap — a hat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of a tree

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