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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: leaves · trunk · field · rule · wave · fork · hand · bound

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rule — government
  6. field — a subject
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rule — a law
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. field — farmland
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  24. hand — help

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