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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: kick · game · ruler · trunk · spring · stand · rule · net

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rule — government
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spring — the season
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rule — a law
  8. game — a match
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. spring — of water
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — for catching
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. stand — to bear
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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