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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fall — to drop
  8. can — a tin
  9. object — to protest
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fall — the season
  12. can — to be able to
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. can — a tin
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chip — for betting
  18. branch — a division
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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