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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. root — of a plant
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pound — a weight
  13. squash — the sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. root — the cause
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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