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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — to recline
  4. present — there
  5. tube — the underground
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spring — of water
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. staff — employees
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — a measure
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spring — a coil
  19. present — a gift
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. present — the time now
  23. spring — the season
  24. tube — a container

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