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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spell — letters
  5. can — a tin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. can — to be able to
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — a trace
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tube — a container
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bear — to put up with

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