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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. bore — to tire
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — for catching
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — after costs
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. capital — a city
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. capital — money
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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