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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.

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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 · wake · ground · leaves · stick · bear · date · fan

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ground — the earth
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. leaves — lets stay

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