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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · trunk · plane · rule · chip · spring · pop · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. object — a thing
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cap — of ice
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. object — an aim
  19. rule — a law
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cap — a hat
  24. plane — in geometry

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