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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — the fish
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. foot — a measure
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stand — to bear
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. snap — to click
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stand — on your feet

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