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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — certain
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rule — a law
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stem — to come from
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rule — government
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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