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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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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: pit · mine · stem · can · game · ruler · chest · cap

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — a match
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chest — a box
  9. cap — of ice
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. game — a kind of play

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