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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · chest · wound · mug · racket · snap · spring · arm

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mug — a face
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mug — to rob
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to click
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. suit — to fit
  20. chest — a box
  21. mug — a cup
  22. suit — clothes
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — a loud noise

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