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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. craft — boats
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tube — the underground
  6. can — to be able to
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stand — to bear
  18. track — to keep track
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. can — a tin
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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