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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: row · ruler · spell · trunk · ball · fine · face · band

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ball — a dance
  8. row — to paddle
  9. spell — letters
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — magic
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a ring
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spell — a short time
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fine — a penalty

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