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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: bore · snap · fan · lean · mine · wound · content · rush

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — happy
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — the amount
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bore — to drill
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lean — thin

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