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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: calf · kid · court · stem · cabinet · stand · season · trunk

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. stand — to bear
  6. court — of law
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — of a king
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. season — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. kid — child

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