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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — a container
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bat — the animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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