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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. present — a gift
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — there
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mug — a face
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. present — the time now

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