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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. plane — a tool
  3. track — a song
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. press — newspapers
  7. present — a gift
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. track — a path
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — of your body
  14. present — there
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bulb — for light
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. press — to push
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — a box

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