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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 · season · chest · perch · ground · pop · face · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chest — of your body
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — part of the head
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — crushed
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — to confront
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ground — a position
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pop — soda

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