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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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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: lie · trunk · mouse · rush · row · bound · rule · court

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. court — for sport
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lie — to recline
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. court — of law
  13. rule — government
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. row — a line
  20. rule — a law
  21. bound — certain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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