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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 120 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: pass · wound · last · lean · ruler · trunk · file · rule

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — a law
  3. file — a document
  4. last — finally
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. file — a line of people
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. last — final
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rule — government

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