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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a city
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. drill — army training
  17. firm — steady
  18. mark — a grade
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — money
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — a stem cell

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