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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. object — to protest
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — a tin
  7. deal — to handle
  8. object — a thing
  9. can — a tin
  10. root — of a word
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. object — an aim
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. root — the cause
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — a box

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