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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 124 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — a series
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — for digging
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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