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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. rule — government
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — money
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — to be able to
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ball — a dance
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — a city
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. rule — a law

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