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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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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. press — a publisher
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — to push
  14. band — a music group
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a ring
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — a country
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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