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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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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: arm · dip · snap · content · bark · leaves · mate · net

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mate — a partner
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. dip — to sink
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — for catching
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. content — happy
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to dunk

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