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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 124 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: toast · land · ruler · clip · mine · pop · can · stick

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. land — ground
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pop — soda
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pop — to visit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — a tin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pop — music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — a video
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — an explosive

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