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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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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: rock · hand · snap · nail · staff · suit · degree · stand

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rock — a stone
  5. suit — in cards
  6. snap — to click
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rock — music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. suit — clothes
  22. degree — from a university
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hand — help

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