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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 124 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. press — a publisher
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. tear — to rip
  12. net — in sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — size or range
  17. perch — the fish
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. object — to protest
  21. net — after costs
  22. can — a tin
  23. object — a thing
  24. tear — from crying

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