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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. file — a tool
  4. chip — for betting
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. kick — in football
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chip — to eat
  10. file — a line of people
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lean — thin
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. file — a document
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. band — a music group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a rubber band

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