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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — for paper
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. clip — to cut
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — a video
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fan — to cool the air

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