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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. suit — clothes
  10. clip — for paper
  11. suit — to fit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. race — humankind
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. rule — a law
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stem — to come from
  21. season — in sport
  22. suit — in cards
  23. race — a contest
  24. rule — government

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