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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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468
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: bound · cold · snap · nail · leaves · staff · craft · rash

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — certain
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — boats
  14. staff — a stick
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — hasty
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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