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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — clever
  3. firm — steady
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. can — a tin
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. firm — decided
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. firm — a company
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — a path

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