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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — a friend
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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