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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 120 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: deal · face · nail · snap · pound · wake · straw · bowl

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pound — a weight
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. face — part of the head
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wake — a trail
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — to hit hard

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