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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 make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — ground
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — to come down
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — a box
  14. face — to point toward
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. face — part of the head
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — a division
  20. rash — a series
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — a country
  24. snap — to click

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