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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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. lean — thin
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a great time
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — a division
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. can — a tin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — to wash
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lean — to rest against

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