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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rock — music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. firm — a company
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — to come from
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. firm — steady
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mate — a friend
  12. firm — decided
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — the season
  18. mate — to breed

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