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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. march — music
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — to come from
  12. can — a tin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — in football
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. band — a music group
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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