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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — a series
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bore — gave birth

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