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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. press — to push
  4. land — a country
  5. bulb — for light
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the fish
  9. can — to be able to
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — low music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. can — a tin
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — ground
  21. press — a publisher
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. calf — a young animal

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