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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spring — of water
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tube — a container
  7. land — a country
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — the season
  12. land — to come down
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — ground
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — goods
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — a jug

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