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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. object — to protest
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. row — to paddle
  9. object — an aim
  10. charge — in control
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — electricity
  15. prune — to trim
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. charge — a price
  19. row — a line
  20. object — a thing
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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