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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 116 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: mine · lean · snap · current · bowl · sharp · rash · nail

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lean — thin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rash — a series
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — for digging
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. lean — to bend
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mine — an explosive

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