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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: lash · bear · snap · spell · racket · cell · pound · land

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. spell — magic
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. land — to come down
  7. cell — in biology
  8. land — ground
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — letters
  14. bear — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to click
  24. pound — a weight

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