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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: straw · wind · rest · ruler · rule · swing · chair · trunk

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — a leader
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — a law
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — in golf
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rule — government
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rest — a break
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — music

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