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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. object — to protest
  6. field — for sport
  7. ground — a position
  8. object — a thing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — farmland
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. field — a subject
  14. ground — the earth
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. object — an aim
  19. spring — of water
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — happy
  23. craft — a skill
  24. content — videos and posts

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