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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — a line
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. craft — boats
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a skill
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — ground
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. object — a thing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — to come down
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. row — to paddle

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