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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — a friend
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. can — to be able to
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. band — a music group
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. dip — to sink
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — the animal

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