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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: can · mug · snap · wake · jam · shower · tear · rest

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — a trail
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. snap — to click
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — rain
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mug — a cup

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