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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. land — a country
  6. lean — to bend
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — thin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — a signal

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