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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: hide · snap · trunk · mouse · rock · bank · field · court

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bank — for money
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. court — of a king
  16. field — for sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. field — a subject
  22. court — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of law

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