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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rock — music
  3. hand — help
  4. club — a group
  5. tube — the underground
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. perch — the fish
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. club — for golf
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. tube — a container
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rock — a stone

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