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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bore — to tire
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kid — child
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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