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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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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 · land · bay · stem · wind · chair · kick · trunk

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — of a king
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. land — ground
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — for sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. court — of law
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — to come down

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