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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 120 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: trunk · ruler · net · fall · cabinet · chair · object · squash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chair — a leader
  3. net — for catching
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. object — a thing
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. trunk — of a tree

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