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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — finally
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lean — thin
  14. last — final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wound — an injury
  17. firm — steady
  18. net — after costs
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. last — to go on
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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