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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fall — the season
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. firm — decided
  10. pop — music
  11. swing — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — soda
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. swing — in golf
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. firm — a company
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pop — to visit
  22. firm — steady
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — a division

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