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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: spring · bank · rash · sharp · bound · snap · nail · pound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bound — tied together
  5. sharp — clever
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — of water
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spring — the season
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to click
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — a series

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