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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: wound · toast · wind · stick · bore · net · cell · snap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to tire
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — moving air
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to drill
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — a phone
  17. net — in sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. toast — bread
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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