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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 · chip · march · object · rule · land · stock · fan

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. object — a thing
  8. stock — shares
  9. land — a country
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rule — a law
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. rule — government
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. land — to come down
  23. object — an aim
  24. prune — to trim

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