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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. object — to protest
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — in music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. drill — a practice
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. branch — a division
  9. can — to be able to
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rule — government
  12. can — a tin
  13. object — an aim
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. date — the fruit
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — the tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. rule — a law

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