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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chair — a leader
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. club — a group
  18. shower — rain
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — to wash
  24. object — an aim

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