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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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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: rest · snap · hand · wound · rock · nail · stick · capital

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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. hand — in cards
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rock — a stone
  7. capital — a city
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. capital — money
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. snap — to click
  21. rest — a break
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rock — music

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