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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · craft · fall · nail · snap · wound · spring · firm

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. firm — steady
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. firm — decided
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to click
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — soda
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. craft — boats
  20. firm — a company
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spring — of water
  23. fall — the season
  24. pop — music

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