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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: wake · season · club · lean · shower · rule · jam · pop

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wake — a trail
  3. club — for golf
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rule — government
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rule — a law
  11. pop — to visit
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — soda
  18. lean — thin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — of the year
  21. shower — rain
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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