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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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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. object — a thing
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — a division
  11. object — to protest
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. toast — bread
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. land — ground
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tube — a container
  18. game — a match
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. pop — music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — the underground
  24. toast — the most admired

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