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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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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: temple · content · march · file · bear · rash · wake · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. file — a tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. content — happy
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a line of people
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. file — a document
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rash — a series
  17. bear — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to click
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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