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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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. bear — to put up with
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. firm — steady
  9. band — a ring
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — child
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bear — the animal
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — magic
  24. kid — to tease

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