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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — a break
  3. object — a thing
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. object — an aim
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rule — government
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rule — a law
  18. object — to protest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rest — what's left
  24. prune — to trim

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