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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 · bound · bulb · rush · kid · rest · clip · coach

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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. snap — to click
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rest — what's left
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — certain
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — a break
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — tied together
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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