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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. can — a tin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — to come down
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cue — for pool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — shares
  17. land — ground
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — goods
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cue — a signal
  24. snap — to click

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