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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 116 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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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: stick · staff · wake · snap · club · hand · object · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — final
  5. hand — help
  6. wake — a trail
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — employees
  10. snap — to click
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — for golf
  13. staff — a stick
  14. object — a thing
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. last — finally
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. club — for dancing
  23. object — to protest
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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