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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: present · bear · snap · wake · tube · scale · lean · wind

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to click
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — in music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. present — there
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. scale — size or range
  15. present — a gift
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — thin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bear — to put up with

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