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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rule — a law
  9. present — the time now
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — a gift
  19. branch — a division
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rule — government
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — there

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