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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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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: saw · board · tear · swing · wind · mouse · mark · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — a committee
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. board — to get on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wind — moving air
  12. swing — in golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. tear — from crying
  24. saw — the tool

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