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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cap — of ice
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. row — a line
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — a lid

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