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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bass — low music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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