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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — army training
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. band — a ring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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