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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: trunk · cabinet · dip · object · chest · stick · rule · pop

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — soda
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rule — government
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — a law
  12. object — an aim
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. object — a thing
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pop — to visit

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