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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: court · bark · band · pitch · ruler · wake · leaves · cell

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — of law
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. band — a music group
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. band — a ring
  17. pitch — completely
  18. court — of a king
  19. bark — to shout
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cell — a phone
  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