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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. present — there
  10. cell — in biology
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. present — a gift
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cell — a phone
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. prune — the fruit

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