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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: root · game · bound · saw · ball · nail · snap · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. game — a match
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ball — a dance
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. ball — a great time
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — the cause
  19. bound — obliged
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — certain
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ball — a round shape

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