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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: bear · snap · key · bound · kick · press · saw · tear

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bear — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. press — a publisher
  7. kick — in football
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. press — to push
  12. bound — tied together
  13. key — for a lock
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to click
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — certain

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