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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a great time
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a dance
  14. present — a gift
  15. bound — certain
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pop — soda
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pop — music
  22. present — the time now
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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