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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. object — to protest
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fine — high quality
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. object — a thing
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fine — all right
  23. object — an aim
  24. land — ground

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