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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. can — a tin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. season — of the year
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — to come from
  11. firm — a company
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. firm — steady
  15. can — a tin
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — money
  19. net — after costs
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. net — in sport
  22. capital — a city
  23. firm — decided
  24. can — to be able to

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