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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 116 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: saw · rule · tear · court · chair · lean · trunk · pop

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — soda
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. court — of law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. tear — to rip
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — to sit on

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