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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rule — government
  3. clip — to cut
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. clip — a video
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — a price
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. shower — rain
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — to wash
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rule — a law
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. charge — in control

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