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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: march · craft · wound · deal · snap · wake · mate · hide

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. mate — to breed
  4. march — the month
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. march — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — a skill
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. hide — to keep secret

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