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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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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: trunk · date · band · fall · court · snap · ruler · leaves

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. snap — to click
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. court — of a king
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. band — a music group
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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