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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — a video
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. can — to be able to

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