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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 · rush · cabinet · wound · sharp · wake · mine · charge

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. charge — a price
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. charge — in control
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. snap — to click
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. sharp — with an edge

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