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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stem — to come from
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rule — a law
  7. club — a group
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. roll — a list
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. club — for golf
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mate — a friend
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. club — for dancing
  24. roll — a cake

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