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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: race · ruler · racket · rest · board · trunk · band · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. land — to come down
  2. race — humankind
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. board — a committee
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — a country
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a ring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. rest — a break
  18. board — to get on
  19. race — the arms race
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — ground
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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