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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cap — a lid
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — to protest
  11. land — a country
  12. object — an aim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. object — a thing
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — a container

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