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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. object — to protest
  3. can — a tin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — rain
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. club — for golf
  11. shower — to wash
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. club — for dancing
  16. object — a thing
  17. chair — a leader
  18. object — an aim

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