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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. branch — a division
  6. bear — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. capital — a city
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — money
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — to be able to

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