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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. land — to come down
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. land — a country
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. march — music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rock — music

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