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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: rule · bear · wind · drill · trunk · net · band · pit

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. net — in sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. pit — a hole
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — after costs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — for catching
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rule — a law
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. drill — army training
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rule — government
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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