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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lean — to bend
  11. deal — to handle
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. vault — a safe
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — the season
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lean — thin
  19. craft — a skill
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. capital — a big letter

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