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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — a country
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. land — to come down
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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