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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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. spring — the season
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rest — a break
  7. clip — for paper
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — of water
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — final
  13. snap — to click
  14. last — finally
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bank — for money
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fall — the season
  23. clip — a video
  24. last — to go on

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