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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — a short time
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stem — to come from
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. club — for dancing
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. club — for golf
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spell — letters
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. shower — rain
  21. mine — for digging
  22. club — a group
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — an explosive

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