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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. band — a music group
  3. dip — to sink
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. board — to get on
  6. band — a ring
  7. plane — a tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — to rip
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — hasty
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tear — from crying
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rash — a series
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. tear — from crying

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