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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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468
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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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. lean — to rest against
  3. snap — to click
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lean — thin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — the fish
  24. deal — to handle

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