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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: court · mark · ruler · pound · trunk · bound · file · wake

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of law
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bound — tied together
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — for sport
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. file — a tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a document
  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