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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: spring · deal · leaves · wound · hand · snap · wake · kick

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. kick — in football
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — to handle
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to click
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — help
  24. kick — with a leg

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