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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: cue · snap · wind · bank · kid · patient · nail · suit

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. snap — to click
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cue — a signal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — for pool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cue — a hint
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kid — child
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — to tease
  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