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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: court · ground · spell · trunk · file · rule · tube · pitcher

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spell — letters
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of law
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rule — a law
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. court — of a king
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ground — a position
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rule — government
  24. tube — a container

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