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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spring — a coil
  5. snap — to click
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spring — the season
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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