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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 116 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: chair · bore · bound · pit · leaves · rule · prune · wake

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bound — certain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — in a race
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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