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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. object — to protest
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. object — an aim
  11. net — for catching
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — to shout
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — army training
  17. sharp — clever
  18. drill — a practice
  19. object — a thing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — with an edge

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