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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bank — for money
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fall — to drop
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fall — the season
  24. bank — for money

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