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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: court · chair · racket · drill · wind · firm · bulb · trunk

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. firm — a company
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. drill — army training
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. court — of law
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chair — a leader
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — a loud noise

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