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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: ruler · prune · straw · club · date · cabinet · chest · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. prune — to trim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — for golf
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. object — to protest
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — the fruit

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