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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — to come down
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — a country
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mate — to breed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. object — an aim
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. land — ground
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — to protest
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. object — a thing
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cap — a hat
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — a partner

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