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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — in sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — a break
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. net — after costs
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. net — for catching

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