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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. snap — to click
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pop — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — goods
  10. rash — a series
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stock — shares
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stem — to come from
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — thin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stock — a soup base

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