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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. present — a gift
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — a series
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. present — the time now
  10. current — happening now
  11. face — to confront
  12. current — of water
  13. pass — a permit
  14. face — to point toward
  15. present — there
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. current — electric
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — hasty

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