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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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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: tear · tube · mate · wound · mouse · snap · rock · pop

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pop — music
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to click
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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