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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. face — to point toward
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to click
  13. present — there
  14. mine — for digging
  15. face — to confront
  16. present — a gift
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — part of the head
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — of a word
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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