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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — to come down
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. land — ground
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — a country
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — to be able to

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