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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: bear · nail · wind · rock · last · land · snap · cue

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. land — to come down
  6. cue — for pool
  7. last — finally
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. land — a country
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. snap — to click
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — ground

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