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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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. tube — in a tire
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. snap — to click
  6. craft — a skill
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to confront
  14. branch — a division
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rest — a break
  19. craft — boats
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rest — what's left

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