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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mug — a face
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mug — a cup
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — of ice
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bank — for money
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bank — of a river

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