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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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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: wind · ruler · hide · present · snap · net · wound · foot

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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. present — the time now
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — a measure
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. present — a gift
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — in sport
  13. present — there
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — an injury

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