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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: sharp · hand · snap · stick · file · key · spring · nail

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. snap — to click
  5. spring — the season
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a document
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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