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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. land — to come down
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. date — the fruit
  21. land — a country
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stem — of a plant

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