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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spring — the season
  7. rule — a law
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — of water
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — certain
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wave — with your hand

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