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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.

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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: hide · rule · can · prune · shower · foot · bound · chair

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — to wash
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rule — a law
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — government
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. can — a tin

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