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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: snap · file · wound · club · bulb · rush · rest · lie

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — a break
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. club — a group
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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