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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: firm · spring · can · pop · cell · tube · mate · sharp

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. firm — a company
  3. tube — a container
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — to be able to
  6. sharp — clever
  7. firm — decided
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — soda
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — a coil
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spring — of water
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. can — a tin

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