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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pit — a hole
  6. can — to be able to
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. field — a subject
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a dance
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — ground
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — for sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bank — of a river
  24. land — a country

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