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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. toast — bread
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. land — to come down
  14. ball — a great time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — a country
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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