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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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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: dip · wake · vault · deal · field · snap · bear · leaves

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. deal — to handle
  3. field — for sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. dip — to sink
  9. vault — a safe
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bear — the animal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. field — a subject
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. field — farmland
  24. wake — a trail

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