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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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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 · chest · scale · toast · fork · bank · roll · court

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fork — in a road
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. toast — bread
  9. chest — of your body
  10. court — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. scale — in music
  23. chest — a box
  24. bank — for money

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