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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: rule · season · court · file · band · bear · trunk · spring

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of law
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. file — a tool
  8. rule — government
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — for sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. file — a line of people
  15. court — of a king
  16. season — in sport
  17. file — a document
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a music group
  22. rule — a law
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. band — a rubber band

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