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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — a thing
  3. rule — a law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. object — an aim
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — to protest
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — a dish

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