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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. object — to protest
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to bend
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. object — an aim
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lean — thin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a great time
  24. row — a line

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