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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. can — a tin
  4. rest — a break
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stem — to come from
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tube — the underground
  10. firm — steady
  11. tube — a container
  12. can — a tin
  13. dip — to sink
  14. firm — decided
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rest — what's left
  18. firm — a company
  19. scale — in music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. scale — for weighing

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