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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bank — of a river
  3. row — a line
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bank — for money
  6. dip — to sink
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cue — a hint
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cue — for pool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cell — in a prison

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