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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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. wind — to turn a key
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — of a river
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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