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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. craft — a skill
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — child
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bank — for money
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. craft — boats
  19. bank — for money
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bank — of a river
  22. roll — a list
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

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