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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. season — of the year
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. can — to be able to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. can — a tin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — in sport

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