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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: rest · snap · game · object · root · chair · wake · bear

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. object — to protest
  8. bear — the animal
  9. root — the cause
  10. object — an aim
  11. root — of a word
  12. object — a thing
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rest — a break
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chair — a leader

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