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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — music
  4. craft — boats
  5. pop — soda
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pop — to visit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. face — part of the head
  10. branch — a division
  11. snap — to click
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. face — to confront
  14. foot — a measure
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. track — a path
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. craft — a skill
  24. foot — part of the body

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