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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — a country
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wake — a trail
  17. can — a tin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rash — a series
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lie — to recline

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