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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mine — for digging
  24. prune — the fruit

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