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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. firm — decided
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. firm — a company
  14. spell — a short time
  15. can — a tin
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — letters
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. firm — steady
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kid — child

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