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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 120 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fine — high quality
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — all right
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — in sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. charge — electricity
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. season — of the year
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. charge — a price
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. prune — to trim

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