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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mug — a face
  4. snap — to click
  5. object — to protest
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rule — a law
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rule — government
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. object — a thing
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — a trail
  23. branch — a division
  24. wave — of the sea

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