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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 · bound · firm · wind · trunk · race · row · ruler

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. firm — steady
  3. bound — certain
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. court — of law
  7. race — a contest
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. firm — a company
  17. race — humankind
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — a line
  23. firm — decided
  24. trunk — of a tree

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