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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. drill — the tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. present — the time now
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. drill — army training
  8. can — a tin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. saw — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. wake — a trail
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. can — to be able to
  22. present — a gift
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — for digging

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