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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — electric
  6. spell — magic
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. deal — to handle
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — letters
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. current — of water
  24. spell — a short time

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