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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 · toast · fall · arm · pitcher · bark · bear · spring

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. fall — the season
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. snap — to click
  16. bark — to shout
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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