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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. track — a path
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. can — a tin
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. tube — a container
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. foot — a measure
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — rain

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