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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bound — obliged
  4. craft — a skill
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — help
  11. craft — boats
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bound — certain
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — to trim

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