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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — of water
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — letters
  6. can — a tin
  7. suit — clothes
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. content — happy
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. snap — to click
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spell — magic
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — ground
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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