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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: snap · suit · wound · swing · tear · cell · band · firm

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — in golf
  7. suit — clothes
  8. firm — steady
  9. snap — to click
  10. firm — a company
  11. cell — in biology
  12. band — a music group
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tear — to rip
  22. firm — decided
  23. suit — to fit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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