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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 · lean · pop · wave · cell · mouse · staff · craft

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — boats
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. lean — thin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. snap — to click
  21. cell — in biology
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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