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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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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: hand · swing · wake · bark · saw · rush · snap · shower

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. wake — a trail
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. swing — to play on
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hand — help
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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