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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: ground · chest · stand · tear · pop · toast · wake · snap

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pop — soda
  18. ground — a position
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. snap — to click
  21. stand — to bear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chest — a box
  24. stand — for spectators

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