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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. mug — to rob
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — a tin
  5. mug — a cup
  6. present — there
  7. bark — to shout
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — child
  11. field — for sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. kid — to tease
  16. present — a gift
  17. wake — a trail
  18. can — to be able to
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mug — a face

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