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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bound — tied together
  5. track — a path
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mug — a face
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mug — a cup
  12. track — a song
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in biology
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rest — a break

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