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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. charge — a price
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. prune — to trim
  9. charge — electricity
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — to confront
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. charge — in control
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to point toward
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lean — to bend

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