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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. perch — the fish
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — a leader
  21. prune — to trim
  22. snap — to click
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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