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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 116 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: chip · band · bore · wave · nail · rest · leaves · snap

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rest — what's left
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a music group
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. band — a ring
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rest — a break
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. nail — for a hammer

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