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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — to cut
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — a video
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. kick — in football
  9. firm — a company
  10. clip — for paper
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. firm — decided
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — steady
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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