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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: mate · wind · trunk · mark · row · chair · bank · court

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bank — of a river
  7. court — of a king
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. row — a line
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. court — of law
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mark — a trace
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — to pay attention

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