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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 · suit · dip · snap · leaves · club · hand · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rock — music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. suit — to fit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. snap — to click
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. club — for golf
  23. hand — help
  24. club — a group

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