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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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. snap — to click
  3. date — the fruit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. season — in sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — of the year

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