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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — magic
  5. staff — employees
  6. rest — a break
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bore — to drill
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spell — letters
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — to tire
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — gave birth

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