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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — tied together
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — a series
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. press — a publisher
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rash — hasty

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