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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. land — to come down
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — a country
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — ground
  18. wake — a trail

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