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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: wind · snap · staff · sharp · pound · bay · cell · perch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. snap — to click
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — clever
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cell — in biology
  23. perch — the fish
  24. staff — employees

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