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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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. branch — of a bank
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. content — happy
  5. present — there
  6. branch — a division
  7. present — a gift
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to click
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. last — to go on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. present — the time now
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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