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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to click
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. key — the most important part
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lean — thin
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. key — for a lock

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