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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pit — a hole
  9. snap — to click
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rock — a stone
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. branch — a division
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. scale — in music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fall — to drop

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