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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spring — the season
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rest — a break
  14. fall — the season
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rush — a thrill

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