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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · cell · leaves · spring · rule · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rule — government
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spring — the season
  9. rule — a law
  10. field — for sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. field — a subject
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cell — a phone
  16. field — farmland
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. present — the time now

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