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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 120 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: can · board · hand · root · club · court · trunk · field

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. can — a tin
  4. board — a committee
  5. field — a subject
  6. club — a group
  7. field — for sport
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. board — to get on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. root — the cause
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — help
  19. field — farmland
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. club — for dancing
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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