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

Word bank: rock · snap · tear · wave · fall · pit

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. fall — the season
  4. rock — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop

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