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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — government
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — ground
  12. object — an aim
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. object — a thing
  20. bore — to tire
  21. land — to come down
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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