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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. root — of a word
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to click
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tube — a container
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a line
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — the tool

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