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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. court — of law
  8. rule — government
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a ring
  14. branch — a division
  15. court — for sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. branch — of a bank

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