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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. track — a song
  3. snap — to click
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. toast — bread
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — ministers

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