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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — to come from
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — a trail
  7. track — a path
  8. capital — a city
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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