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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 116 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 · lean · lie · cell · spell · mate · leaves · degree

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lean — thin
  24. lie — an untruth

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