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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: hand · nail · fine · lean · snap · cold · bore · rush

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. snap — to click
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fine — all right
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. lean — thin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cold — not warm

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