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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. saw — the tool
  3. drill — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. degree — temperature
  11. can — to be able to
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — hurry
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. stem — to come from
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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