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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 120 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: kid · root · wound · mark · snap · bank · arm · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. root — of a plant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — of a river
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bank — for money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. root — of a word
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to click
  16. last — finally
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a grade
  23. root — the cause
  24. bank — for money

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