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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: rest · saw · deal · ground · wound · snap · firm · wake

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ground — a position
  4. firm — decided
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. firm — a company
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — to handle
  13. firm — steady
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rest — a break
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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