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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a music group
  4. dip — to sink
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a ring
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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