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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. can — a tin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. club — for dancing
  9. land — ground
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stem — to come from
  14. club — a group
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. club — for golf
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. clip — for paper

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