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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: lean · bat · bass · trunk · court · sharp · staff · band

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. staff — employees
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of law
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bat — the animal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — thin
  23. band — a music group
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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