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

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — for sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. wake — before a funeral

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