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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 120 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: kid · chip · snap · lie · stick · band · wave · can

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. can — a tin
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chip — for betting
  11. can — a tin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — child
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lie — to recline
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. band — a music group

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