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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. current — happening now
  5. object — an aim
  6. land — ground
  7. rush — hurry
  8. object — a thing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — a company
  11. spell — magic
  12. object — to protest
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — letters
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rush — a thrill

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