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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — for a lock
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — the underground
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — in a tire

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