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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. capital — money
  5. spell — letters
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spell — a short time
  11. capital — a city
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — a law
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rule — government
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — magic
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — to bend
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — in a tire

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