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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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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: ruler · root · wake · tear · file · lean · court · trunk

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. court — for sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a document
  7. lean — to bend
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tear — to rip
  11. root — of a word
  12. court — of a king
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — of law
  15. lean — thin
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wake — before a funeral

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