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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. drill — the tool
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. band — a music group
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. drill — army training
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — a tin
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — a container
  19. band — a ring
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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