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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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. cell — in biology
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bound — obliged
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. prune — to trim

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