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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: trunk · court · rush · spring · drill · land · stand · deal

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. spring — of water
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — to come down
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. land — ground
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — a coil
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. land — a country
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. deal — to handle
  22. spring — the season
  23. rush — hurry
  24. drill — army training

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