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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bank — for money
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bore — to tire
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — the earth
  15. root — of a word
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hand — help
  18. root — the cause
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bank — of a river
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mouse — the animal

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