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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — happy
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. snap — to click
  12. content — the amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. patient — a sick person

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