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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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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: rest · wave · snap · swing · mouse · bark · can · court

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of law
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rest — a break
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — of a king
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — for sport

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