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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — thin
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lean — to bend
  21. can — a tin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wave — of the sea

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