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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. net — for catching
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — a break
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stock — goods
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — shares
  19. snap — to click
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — after costs
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. band — a ring

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