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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. club — for dancing
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — for sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cap — a hat
  15. field — a subject
  16. fine — all right
  17. root — the cause
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — a group
  21. cap — of ice
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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