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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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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: club · leaves · cell · wave · court · trunk · track · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a song
  3. court — of law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. track — to keep track
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. club — for dancing
  18. court — of a king
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — for sport
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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