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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — government
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. root — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. capital — a city
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. bat — the animal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. trunk — of a car

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