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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. content — the amount
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. content — happy
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — a division
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. saw — the tool

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