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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: trunk · court · lean · cabinet · band · jam · plane · hand

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. band — a ring
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — help
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. plane — a tool
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. lean — to bend
  24. plane — an aircraft

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