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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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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: press · rest · pitcher · branch · bound · tube · rule · court

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rule — government
  4. tube — a container
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rule — a law
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — tied together
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — of a king

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