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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: pass · spell · bark · mark · hand · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pass — a permit
  6. snap — to click
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spell — magic
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bark — to shout
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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