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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — shares
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — in football
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — goods
  22. can — a tin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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