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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. land — a country
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — to come down
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. can — a tin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — ground
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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