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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: arm · wound · bound · date · wind · rock · snap · bay

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wind — moving air
  24. date — on the calendar

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