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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. shower — rain
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — shares
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stock — goods
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to click
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — to wash

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