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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 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. band — a ring
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spring — of water
  5. drill — the tool
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mark — a trace
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — army training
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mark — a grade

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