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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: stick · season · chest · land · mouse · root · snap · lie

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. snap — to click
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lie — to recline
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — the cause
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — a box
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chest — of your body
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — of the year

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