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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — finally
  5. present — a gift
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. object — an aim
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mine — for digging
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — final
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — a container
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — to go on
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — belonging to me

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