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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — letters
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — in music
  14. spell — magic
  15. can — a tin
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — a position
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. coach — a trainer

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