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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. object — an aim
  3. chest — a box
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. object — to protest
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — a thing
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bound — certain
  22. club — for golf
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bound — tied together

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