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

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to click
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bank — for money
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bank — of a river
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — belonging to me

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