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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. snap — to click
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pop — music
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. dip — to sink
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — soda
  16. spring — the season
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — electric
  24. can — to be able to

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