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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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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: rash · cell · swing · dip · rock · trunk · band · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rock — a stone
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a ring
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a music group
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. court — of a king
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — a series
  16. swing — music
  17. court — of law
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. swing — in golf

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