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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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. present — a gift
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — the time now
  9. snap — to click
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. hand — help
  14. toast — bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. present — there
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bank — for money
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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