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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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Word bank
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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: prune · cabinet · bat · rule · root · court · rush · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of law
  4. root — the cause
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rush — hurry
  10. root — of a plant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of a king
  16. object — a thing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. root — of a word
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. object — to protest
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rush — a thrill

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