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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. rash — hasty
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — for catching
  11. stem — to come from
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — a series
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — of a plant

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