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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 · cell · can · chair · land · racket · craft · saw

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. can — to be able to
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. can — a tin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. land — a country
  14. craft — boats
  15. land — to come down
  16. cell — a phone
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — a tin
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rock — music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. saw — the tool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cell — in biology

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