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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: season · toast · bank · pound · temple · court · march · trunk

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of a king
  5. bank — for money
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — a weight
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. march — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. toast — bread
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. court — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — of the year
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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