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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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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. object — an aim
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — a subject
  15. file — a document
  16. land — to come down
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. file — a tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. object — to protest

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