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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — to be able to
  3. land — ground
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mug — a face
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mug — to rob
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cell — a phone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bear — the animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — to come down

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