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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · jam · tear · pop · rest · wind

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pop — music
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — soda
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rest — a break
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stand — on your feet

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