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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. object — an aim
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — to keep track
  10. club — a group
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. object — a thing
  13. hand — help
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for golf
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — a container
  23. track — a path
  24. tube — in a tire

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