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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · date · bay · mine · mug · wake · snap · tube

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mug — a face
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. date — the fruit
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tube — a container
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mug — to rob
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tube — the underground
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tube — in a tire

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