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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.

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: court · drill · trunk · spring · stand · mine · temple · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. swing — music
  9. drill — army training
  10. court — of a king
  11. drill — a practice
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of law
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. swing — in golf
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — for sport

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