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

Word bank: snap · race · wind · bore · nail · degree

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bore — to drill
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. degree — from a university
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. degree — temperature
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wind — moving air
  17. race — humankind
  18. bore — to tire

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