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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spell — magic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. current — of water
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — a position
  14. current — electric
  15. tear — to rip
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — happening now
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. spell — letters

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