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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 · fan · branch · stick · jam · deal · wound · drill

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. drill — army training
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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