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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. file — a document
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. file — a tool
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. march — the month
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a line of people
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — to trim
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. march — music
  22. toast — bread
  23. object — to protest
  24. land — a country

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