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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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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. swing — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pound — a weight
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spring — the season

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