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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — a division
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rash — hasty
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spell — letters
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — a series
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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