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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · rush · wound · snap · cold · fan · nail · ruler

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — hurry
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — the amount
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. content — happy
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — the Cold War

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