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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rule — a law
  7. stand — to bear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. land — ground
  12. branch — a division
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rule — government
  17. land — to come down
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — a country
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. prune — the fruit

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