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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: season · can · bark · trunk · mate · court · cell · stand

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stand — to bear
  4. season — in sport
  5. can — to be able to
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mate — a friend
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. can — a tin
  13. mate — to breed
  14. court — of a king
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cell — a phone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. court — of law
  24. season — of the year

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