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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: board · lash · ball · current · hand · snap · spring · saw

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. board — to get on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. board — a committee
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to click
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a great time
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. current — of water
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — electric
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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