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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: staff · pitcher · snap · bay · saw · patient · leaves · key

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — a stick
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — in music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — of a tree

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