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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: land · prune · bound · ruler · lie · chair · bat · craft

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — to come down
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. land — ground
  17. craft — boats
  18. land — a country
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bound — certain
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bat — the animal

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