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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: nail · wake · mate · current · spell · snap · hand · rest

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — a friend
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mate — a partner
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hand — help
  11. spell — a short time
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. current — electric
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. spell — letters
  23. snap — to click
  24. rest — what's left

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