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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pop — soda
  3. lean — to bend
  4. can — to be able to
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — of water
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a document
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. content — happy
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pop — to visit
  22. content — the amount
  23. deal — a big deal
  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