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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: wound · nail · march · present · wind · can · cap · snap

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. snap — to click
  6. wound — an injury
  7. present — the time now
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. march — the month
  11. present — a gift
  12. wind — moving air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — to be able to
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. present — there
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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