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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.

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: can · cell · sharp · cap · prune · march · pitcher · stick

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — the month
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cap — of ice
  24. prune — the fruit

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