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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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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: temple · last · safe · lean · fall · snap · pop · cap

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. lean — to bend
  2. last — to go on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. snap — to click
  6. cap — of ice
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cap — a hat
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cap — a lid
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — finally
  16. pop — soda
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — final
  22. pop — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  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