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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: rush · march · wound · suit · plane · bound · wind · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — certain
  8. suit — clothes
  9. march — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bound — tied together
  14. snap — to click
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bound — obliged
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  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