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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — a tin
  5. ball — a great time
  6. present — there
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. present — a gift
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. can — to be able to
  24. ball — a dance

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