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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — a division
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. snap — to click
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — of a bank

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