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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · drill · deal · bear · cell · date · can · pitcher

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. land — ground
  4. cell — in biology
  5. land — to come down
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bear — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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