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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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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: chip · wake · snap · stick · mine · saw · mug · file

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — for betting
  8. file — a tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mug — a cup
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. file — a line of people

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