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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.

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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to click
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bank — of a river
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — a position

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