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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — ground
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — a country
  16. face — to confront
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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