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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: lean · can · craft · hand · saw · snap · mouse · current

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. can — to be able to
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hand — help
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — happening now
  18. craft — a skill
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — boats
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. current — of water
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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