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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: wound · arm · firm · wake · bear · snap · rock · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rock — music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. snap — to click
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a document
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — decided
  24. bear — the animal

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