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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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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: lean · court · stem · ground · scale · cabinet · trunk · drill

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lean — thin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. scale — in music
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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