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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: drill · leaves · swing · bear · kid · present · snap · wake

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. drill — a practice
  10. swing — to play on
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — the tool
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — child
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. present — there
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bear — the animal
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. drill — army training

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