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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. drill — a practice
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — an aim
  19. drill — army training
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. spell — letters
  22. land — to come down
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rush — a thrill

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