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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: saw · pass · pound · spring · snap · net

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — after costs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. spring — of water
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. net — for catching
  13. spring — a coil
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — in sport

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