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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. snap — to click
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bore — to tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — certain
  17. swing — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bore — to drill

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