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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. land — ground
  3. field — farmland
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. snap — to click
  7. bank — of a river
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. field — for sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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