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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: pop · rule · leaves · mark · trunk · deal · mine · roll

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. roll — a cake
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — soda
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — government
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. roll — a list
  15. mark — a trace
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — for digging
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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