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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hand — help
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stem — to come from
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mine — for digging
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitcher — a jug

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