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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. game — a match
  6. bark — to shout
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — to rip
  15. suit — to fit
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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