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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: rush · rash · track · snap · wound · lie · roll · can

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — hurry
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rash — hasty
  11. roll — a cake
  12. track — a song
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. track — a path
  22. roll — a list
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. can — a tin

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