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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.

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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. foot — a measure
  3. can — a tin
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — hurry
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stand — to bear
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ground — the earth
  17. can — a tin
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. can — to be able to
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. shower — rain

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