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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bank — for money
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — the season
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — of water
  20. board — to get on
  21. bank — of a river
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. net — after costs

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