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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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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a music group
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to click
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. drill — army training
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pound — a weight
  17. craft — boats
  18. band — a ring
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. straw — a straw man

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