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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pit — in a race
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. snap — to click
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pop — soda
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pop — music
  15. branch — a division
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wake — a trail
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lean — to rest against

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