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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: drill · leaves · tear · suit · cold · bank · cue · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. drill — army training
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tear — from crying
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cue — a hint
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cue — a signal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tear — from crying
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cold — not warm
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bank — of a river
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cue — for pool
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bank — for money
  24. tear — to rip

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