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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. present — there
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bound — certain
  6. charge — electricity
  7. capital — a city
  8. present — a gift
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. present — the time now
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — a price
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — in control
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. leaves — of a tree

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