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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mine — for digging
  20. suit — in cards
  21. sharp — clever
  22. suit — to fit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. suit — clothes

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