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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. branch — a division
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spring — of water
  5. spell — magic
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pit — in a race
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spell — letters
  17. key — in music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — a short time
  21. scale — in music
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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