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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — tied together
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — in golf
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — finally
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — to play on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. staff — a stick
  22. swing — music
  23. bound — obliged
  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