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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pop — soda
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. can — to be able to
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — in football
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pop — music
  21. can — a tin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. file — a document
  24. stand — on your feet

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