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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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. season — of the year
  3. present — a gift
  4. season — in sport
  5. suit — clothes
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — the time now
  16. prune — to trim
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stem — to come from
  20. present — there
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — low music
  24. stem — a stem cell

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