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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. can — to be able to
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. tear — to rip
  11. board — to get on
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. board — a committee
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wake — a trail
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. can — a tin

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