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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — a practice
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — in a race
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. drill — the tool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. drill — army training
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — to be able to
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pit — a hole

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