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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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Word bank
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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: lean · tear · wake · nail · rock · snap · court · scale

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. snap — to click
  3. lean — thin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — from crying
  11. court — of law
  12. tear — to rip
  13. scale — in music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. court — for sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rock — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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