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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: march · lash · tube · rule · fine · last · trunk · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rule — government
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — a container
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. march — music
  10. rule — a law
  11. fine — all right
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. last — finally
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — final
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — to go 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