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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — a country
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cap — a hat
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tube — the underground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — ground
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — in biology
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tube — in a tire

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