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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. snap — to click
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. shower — to wash
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. can — to be able to
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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