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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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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: bound · bear · snap · row · pitcher · racket · leaves · chest

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — certain
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — obliged

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