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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 116 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
468
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: season · rest · court · hide · leaves · land · snap · trunk

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — to come down
  8. rest — what's left
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. season — in sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — for sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. land — a country

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