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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: board · ruler · leaves · chest · prune · wave · court · cap

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — of a king
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. board — a committee
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cap — of ice
  9. board — to get on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. court — of law
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — a box
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cap — a lid

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