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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: court · last · trunk · lie · bore · bound · roll · coach

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — of a king
  4. roll — a list
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bound — tied together
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. last — final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bore — to drill
  19. court — of law
  20. last — to go on
  21. court — for sport
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. roll — a cake

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