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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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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 · tear · chip · mug · wake · key · prune · cabinet

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to click
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — in music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mug — a face
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mug — a cup
  17. prune — to trim
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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