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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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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: spring · court · toast · chest · trunk · saw · bank · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. court — of law
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — of a river
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of a king
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. chest — a box
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. court — for sport
  23. spring — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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