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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rule — government
  10. mine — for digging
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bound — certain
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — obliged
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — finally
  20. rule — a law
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — to go on
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. last — final

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