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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. band — a music group
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. object — to protest
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spell — magic
  11. tube — the underground
  12. charge — in control
  13. object — a thing
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. object — an aim
  22. lean — thin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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