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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. track — to keep track
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. land — ground
  5. track — a song
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. object — an aim
  11. toast — bread
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. object — a thing
  15. land — a country
  16. chest — a box
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chest — of your body
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — a series

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