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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: snap · mouse · racket · cold · bulb · pass · wound · nail

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — a permit

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