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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: lean · ruler · pitcher · trunk · rule · season · bat · march

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rule — a law
  3. season — in sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rule — government
  16. lean — thin
  17. march — music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. trunk — of a tree

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