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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fall — the season
  5. present — a gift
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — to come down
  17. present — there
  18. dip — to sink
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — ground
  21. can — a tin
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. land — a country
  24. stem — to come from

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