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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — a break
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. branch — a division
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — a law
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — help
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rule — government
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

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