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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: fan · cabinet · prune · chair · object · scale · land · rule

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — government
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. land — ground
  13. scale — in music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. land — a country
  16. object — to protest
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. object — a thing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — an aim
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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