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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lean — to bend
  4. prune — to trim
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — for catching
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — in sport
  20. lean — thin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rock — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — after costs

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