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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lean — thin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — rain
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. shower — to wash
  13. capital — money
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. charge — a price
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. prune — to trim

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