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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. object — a thing
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. object — an aim
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — not warm

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