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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. date — the fruit
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to click
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. object — to protest
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. object — a thing
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. object — an aim
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — a tin

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