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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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