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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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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: snap · hand · bound · season · nail · last · can · mark

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. last — to go on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — finally
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. can — a tin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to click
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. last — final
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — in sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — help
  24. can — to be able to

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