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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 124 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — to come from
  8. key — the most important part
  9. net — for catching
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tear — from crying
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. net — in sport
  17. key — in music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — to be able to
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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