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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. object — to protest
  8. pop — to visit
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pop — soda
  11. can — a tin
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. object — a thing
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — of water

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