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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. deal — to handle
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — a container
  14. roll — a cake
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a line of people
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bass — the fish
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — to trim

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