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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: wound · pass · bound · face · saw · drill · snap · wake

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pass — a permit
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bound — certain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. face — to confront

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