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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. land — to come down
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. shower — rain
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — a division
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. land — ground
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — completely
  20. shower — to wash
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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