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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: season · ruler · court · trunk · bass · roll · club · wax

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. court — of a king
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — the fish
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — of law
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. club — for golf
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. roll — a cake
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bass — low music
  24. season — in sport

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