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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cap — of ice
  3. field — a subject
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. tube — a container
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — farmland
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — for sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. cap — a lid
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. row — a line

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