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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. land — to come down
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — low music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. land — a country
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. land — ground
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — the fish

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