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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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. straw — dry grass
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. squash — the sport
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. snap — to click
  13. branch — a division
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. squash — to crush
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bear — the animal

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