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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wake · root · racket · lean · trunk · file · court · season

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. root — the cause
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. file — a document
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of law
  16. season — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — of a word
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a tool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wake — before a funeral

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