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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. land — ground
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mug — a face
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wake — a trail
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — to be able to
  23. scale — in music
  24. can — a tin

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