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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. squash — to crush
  3. scale — size or range
  4. object — a thing
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mug — to rob
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — government
  14. fall — the season
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mug — a face
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rule — a law
  23. mug — a cup
  24. squash — the sport

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