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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. scale — in music
  3. pop — soda
  4. stem — to come from
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pop — music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. can — a tin
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pop — to visit
  16. snap — to click
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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