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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bass — the fish
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mug — a cup
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ground — a position
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ground — crushed
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — a trail
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to click
  21. bass — low music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mug — to rob
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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