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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bank — of a river
  3. charge — in control
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. charge — electricity
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. row — a line
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chest — a box
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — a price
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. snap — to click
  24. row — a quarrel

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