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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bound — certain
  13. mug — a face
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — the season
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — a trail

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