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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to click
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. roll — a list
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — government
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — obliged
  20. branch — a division
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bound — certain

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