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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 · ruler · staff · band · perch · lean · board · hand

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — of a king
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. board — to get on
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — help
  7. lean — thin
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. court — of law
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. board — a committee

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