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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 120 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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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: land · court · can · lean · bass · trunk · rule · rash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rash — a series
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — for sport
  13. rule — government
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — a law
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — of a king
  18. can — to be able to
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lean — to bend

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