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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 116 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: hand · tube · pitcher · root · can · land · pass · charge

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a plant
  6. charge — a price
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. charge — electricity
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. land — a country
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — of a word
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — help
  23. charge — in control
  24. root — the cause

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