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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — a position
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. snap — to click

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