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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 · kick · season · bear · swing · rush · trunk · rest

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rule — government
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kick — in football
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. swing — in golf
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — to play 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