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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bound — obliged
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spring — the season
  11. face — to point toward
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — ground
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. land — to come down
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bound — certain

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