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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bank — of a river
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — a line
  9. bark — to shout
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bank — for money
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. row — to paddle
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lean — to bend
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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