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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — to protest
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. object — an aim
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rock — a stone
  13. club — for golf
  14. bore — to drill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mine — for digging
  18. club — a group
  19. rock — music
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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