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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: snap · rest · can · tube · mark · wave · cold · bowl

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — a tin
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mark — a grade
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tube — a container
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rest — a break

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