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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. plane — a tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bore — to drill
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cell — in biology

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