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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. club — for dancing
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. root — of a word
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — the cause
  24. lie — to recline

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