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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — ground
  4. stem — to come from
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pound — a weight
  7. band — a music group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — army training
  15. can — to be able to
  16. drill — a practice
  17. board — a committee
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. land — a country
  24. board — to get on

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