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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 · fall · pound · wound · pitcher · sharp · snap · wake

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — a weight
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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