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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — the season
  5. row — to paddle
  6. can — to be able to
  7. capital — a city
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. row — a line
  14. capital — money
  15. spring — of water
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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