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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 120 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: cap · bear · mate · snap · saw · sharp · staff · leaves

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. bear — the animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. snap — to click
  13. mate — a partner
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. staff — a stick
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cap — a lid
  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