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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — the season
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. snap — to click
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. charge — electricity
  9. spring — of water
  10. key — in music
  11. charge — in control
  12. spring — a coil
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. key — for a lock
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. charge — a price
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wind — moving air

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