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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: bound · snap · board · nail · arm · wake · tear · lash

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. board — to get on
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. board — a committee
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bound — certain
  23. snap — to click
  24. nail — for a hammer

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