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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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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: face · prune · snap · squash · bay · land · pop · mouse

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. snap — to click
  3. pop — soda
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. land — to come down
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. land — a country
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. squash — the sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. prune — to trim

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