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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: wake · fan · pop · squash · rest · snap · wound · bark

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to click
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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