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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 124 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. object — an aim
  5. can — a tin
  6. object — a thing
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kick — in football
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — electric
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. current — of water
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — happening now
  24. can — to be able to

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