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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: saw · deal · bark · kick · bass · wind · stem · snap

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bass — low music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. deal — to handle
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bark — to shout
  17. kick — in football
  18. bass — the fish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — a thrill

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