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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. snap — to click
  3. drill — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. suit — in cards
  13. spring — a coil
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. drill — army training
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cell — in biology
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lean — thin
  24. suit — to fit

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