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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. tear — to rip
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wake — a trail
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. key — in music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. branch — a division
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lie — to recline

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