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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. club — for dancing
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. club — for golf
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to click
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — a break
  24. wind — to turn a key

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