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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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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: bank · club · capital · racket · court · trunk · wave · ball

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. capital — money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. court — of a king
  12. bank — of a river
  13. club — a group
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. court — of law
  18. capital — a city
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. club — for golf
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wave — with your hand

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