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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: wave · kid · net · pitch · snap · spring · kick · wake

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. 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. wave — with your hand
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spring — of water
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wake — a trail
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — child
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. 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