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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: rush · trunk · ruler · fan · jam · season · mate · mine

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. season — of the year
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. ruler — for measuring

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