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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pit — in a race
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bark — to shout
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cap — of ice
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pit — a hole
  24. leaves — lets stay

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