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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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 click
  3. rock — music
  4. row — a line
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. spring — the season
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. craft — boats
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. row — to paddle
  22. craft — a skill
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rock — a stone

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