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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. clip — to cut
  7. branch — a division
  8. lie — to recline
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. clip — a video
  12. snap — to click
  13. bank — for money
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bear — to put up with

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