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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mug — a face
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mug — to rob
  9. object — an aim
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. root — the cause
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. root — of a word
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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