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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: bulb · rest · deal · snap · hand · pound · mouse · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pound — a weight
  7. deal — to handle
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rest — a break
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. hand — help
  24. bulb — of a plant

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