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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 120 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: drill · last · snap · present · wake · bound · leaves · stock

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bound — tied together
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. present — the time now
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — obliged
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — army training
  10. stock — goods
  11. last — finally
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bound — certain
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — to go on
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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