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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — the season
  3. staff — a stick
  4. shower — to wash
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — a company
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. firm — steady
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. shower — rain
  21. wake — a trail
  22. firm — decided
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. can — to be able to

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