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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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Word bank
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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 · nail · field · suit · saw · capital · pop · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — a subject
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — to bend
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — money
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. suit — clothes
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. field — farmland
  18. capital — a city
  19. field — for sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pop — to visit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — music

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