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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lean — to bend
  4. charge — in control
  5. shower — rain
  6. lean — thin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — to wash
  10. prune — to trim
  11. charge — a price
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. dip — to sink
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. object — to protest
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. saw — the tool

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