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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. snap — to click
  6. bank — for money
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — in music
  13. bank — for money
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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