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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pop — music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mug — a face
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pop — to visit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pop — soda
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money

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