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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: object · court · wind · bark · safe · trunk · arm · season

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. wind — moving air
  2. court — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. object — a thing
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. object — an aim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — to shout
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. season — of the year
  23. object — to protest
  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