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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: snap · wind · drill · leaves · content · mouse · coach · bass

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bass — the fish
  3. drill — army training
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — happy
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to click
  17. wind — moving air
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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