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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · object · wake · present · cell · snap

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. present — a gift
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — to handle
  5. object — a thing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. object — an aim
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. object — to protest
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now

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