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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
468
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: pound · hand · snap · nail · wake · clip · patient · leaves

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to click
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — to cut
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — help
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — a video
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pound — a weight

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