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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spell — magic
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stem — to come from

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