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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.

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: hand · rash · cell · trunk · court · calf · spring · rest

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — a series
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cell — a phone

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