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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: mouse · wound · nail · land · lie · pound · snap · rush

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rush — hurry
  4. snap — to click
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — ground
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — to come down
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — a country
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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