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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. spell — letters
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — hurry
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bank — for money
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — for money
  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