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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. field — a subject
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cap — a hat
  10. snap — to click
  11. bank — for money
  12. spell — letters
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bank — of a river
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — magic
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. field — for sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bank — for money

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