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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: bulb · cell · leaves · mine · cabinet · prune · bound · spring

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cell — in biology
  24. leaves — of a tree

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