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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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Word bank
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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 · press · spell · wake · last · pitcher · cell · bay

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — a trail
  7. last — to go on
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cell — in biology
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — final
  18. spell — a short time
  19. press — to push
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to click
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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