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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · snap · wound · mark · date · fall · bound · toast

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mark — a grade
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — a trace
  16. toast — bread
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fall — the season
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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