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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rash — a series
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pop — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stem — to come from
  20. charge — a price
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bound — obliged
  23. charge — electricity
  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