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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — a country
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — a break
  8. game — a match
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — ground
  16. band — a ring
  17. tube — a container
  18. object — a thing
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — to come down
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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