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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cell — a phone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rash — a series
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tube — the underground
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — for catching
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rash — hasty
  24. object — a thing

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