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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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. lash — an eyelash
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. snap — to click
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bound — certain
  16. mate — a friend
  17. scale — in music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bear — the animal

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