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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: leaves · shower · court · can · stem · trunk · content · march

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stem — to come from
  17. can — to be able to
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — rain
  20. content — the amount
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. march — music
  24. content — happy

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