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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: date · mug · trunk · bowl · club · court · staff · lean

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. staff — employees
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — for dancing
  6. staff — employees
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — a cup
  9. date — the fruit
  10. court — for sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mug — a face
  16. staff — a stick
  17. club — a group
  18. court — of law
  19. lean — thin
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. trunk — of a car

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