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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mug — a face
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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