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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. craft — boats
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rock — music
  11. present — there
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bound — certain
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. craft — a skill
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. present — the time now

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