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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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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: bass · wound · fan · craft · snap · chip · cap · lash

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chip — to eat
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cap — of ice
  13. snap — to click
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bass — low music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. craft — boats
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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