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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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. wind — moving air
  3. bank — of a river
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bank — for money
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bank — for money
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mark — a grade

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