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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 124 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. land — to come down
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — a country
  8. cue — for pool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cue — a signal
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. land — ground
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. drill — army training
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — to come from
  22. squash — to crush
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. drill — the tool

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