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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: season · pitcher · arm · trunk · content · bank · court · fan

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bank — of a river
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — the amount
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — for money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. content — happy
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — videos and posts

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