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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: rash · wake · fork · safe · snap · wound · charge · file

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to click
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. file — a document
  19. rash — a series
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fork — in a road

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