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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 · chest · bear · racket · lash · fall · pound · craft

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. chest — a box
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fall — to drop
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fall — the season
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pound — a weight
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to click
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bear — the animal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. craft — boats
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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