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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rock — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — of a word
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. root — the cause
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — government
  24. tube — in a tire

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