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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. field — a subject
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. field — farmland
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fine — all right
  13. spring — of water
  14. bound — obliged
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — for sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rule — government

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