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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lean — thin
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. lean — to bend
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. snap — to click
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. branch — a division

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