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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: firm · wake · drill · band · cap · cell · temple · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wake — a trail
  5. drill — army training
  6. firm — a company
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. band — a ring
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cell — a phone
  15. firm — decided
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. band — a music group
  24. firm — steady

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