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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 120 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: rock · can · leaves · hand · cabinet · squash · pit · bass

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pit — in a race
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bass — low music
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — help
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rock — music
  21. pit — a hole
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bass — the fish

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