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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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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: hand · wind · current · arm · pass · prune · snap · drill

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — electric
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. snap — to click
  8. drill — the tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — help
  18. current — of water
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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