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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 120 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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. root — of a word
  3. bass — low music
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. root — of a plant
  8. row — a line
  9. snap — to click
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chest — a box
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bulb — for light
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — the cause
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

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