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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: bore · last · snap · kid · wake · mug · hand · branch

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. snap — to click
  6. last — to go on
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. branch — a division
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hand — help
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mug — a cup
  19. last — final
  20. bore — to drill
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — to tease

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