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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pop · spring · mine · rock · key · trunk · rule

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rule — a law
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. rock — music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pop — music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pop — to visit
  21. key — in music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rule — government
  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