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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: snap · squash · lean · hide · deal · race · stem · bark

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. snap — to click
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — to handle
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. squash — the sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. squash — to crush

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